EurekAlert! News by Subject: Tech & Engineering

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 27-Oct-2026 01:16 ET (27-Oct-2026 05:16 GMT/UTC)

14-Sep-2026

Mutual empowerment of artificial intelligence and metasurfaces: intelligent nanophotonics and optical intelligence

Compuscript Ltd
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Announcing a new publication from Opto-Electronic Sciences; DOI 10.29026/oes.2026.260021

14-Sep-2026

The negative effect of emotion in climate action

Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology reveals that the emotions of anger, hope and compassion, might have less of an effect on pro-environmental behaviour than previously thought.

Journal: Scientific Reports

14-Sep-2026

Ultrafast all-optical modulation of wide-bandwidth pulses enabled by silicon-metasurfaces

Compuscript Ltd
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new silicon metasurface capable of rapidly controlling wide-bandwidth light pulses could help advance compact technologies for optical communications, computing, LiDAR and photonic information processing. The approach combines broad spectral operation with picosecond-scale switching, addressing a longstanding trade-off between modulation strength and bandwidth in ultrafast optical devices.

14-Sep-2026

Scientists create “super ice” that is 10 times stronger and far harder to shatter

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Peer-Reviewed Publication

By reinforcing ice with tiny plant-based crystals and a specially designed protein, researchers created a material that rivals concrete in strength and absorbs 70 times more energy before breaking.

Journal: Colloids and Surfaces B Biointerfaces

14-Sep-2026

Pixel-controlled programmable metasurface as phase-type spatial terahertz modulator

Compuscript Ltd
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A pixel-controlled programmable metasurface capable of dynamically reshaping terahertz (THz) waves could open new possibilities for compact imaging, communications and optical systems. The device functions as a phase-type spatial terahertz modulator, combining independent pixel-level encoding with the ability to switch between multiple optical functions on a single platform.

Journal: Opto-Electronic Advances

14-Sep-2026

Forest fire smoke reduces bird diversity

ETH Zurich
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The more an area was impacted by wildfire smoke in the previous year, the lower the bird diversity was evident there in the following breeding season.

Researchers analysed data from around 2,800 bird survey routes in the US over a 15-year period.

The effect also persists when the researchers took into account where the fire had actually destroyed habitats, as well as numerous other factors.

Consequently, the study highlights a hidden consequence of wildfires that is difficult to quantify in economic terms.

Journal: Journal of Environmental Economics and Management

14-Sep-2026

No cities on the Moon — there isn’t enough water, scientists say

Frontiers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The discovery of water at the poles of the Moon has inspired speculation about whether we can build there – cities, industrial neighborhoods, places where people work and live. But is there enough water, and can we use it efficiently enough? In their new article in Frontiers in Space Technologies, Dr Martin Elvis and Dr Jonathan McDowell do the math. Even at the most generous estimates of the available water and recycling efficiency, a city of one million people would only last 100 years before all the water runs out. In this guest editorial, Elvis breaks down what we can and can’t do with the technology available.

Journal: Frontiers in Space Technologies

14-Sep-2026

Unused natural gas behind NYC’s $300 million waste of a potent greenhouse gas

Columbia Climate School
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Methane emissions from the New York City metropolitan area are largely driven by natural gas use, according to a new study published today in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics by researchers at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, part of the Columbia Climate School. The findings may offer cities an overlooked pathway for reduce methane emissions while potentially saving consumers millions of dollars lost to wasted natural gas.

Journal: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

13-Sep-2026

Laser 3D-printing teaches solid metal how to deform

International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, researchers have solved a rigid manufacturing compromise between geometric complexity and magnetic performance by laser 3D-printing, successfully weaving metal powders into intricate and highly responsive magnetic devices.

Journal: International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing